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Regardless of who he plays alongside, Dikamona is clearly delighted to be playing his football and living in Edinburgh. So much so, that he believes it’s God that’s put him here.

“Simply because it happened – it was a miracle,” he said about his move. “I decided with my wife to end the contract on a Wednesday. I ended it on the Thursday morning. I packed my bags to leave on Thursday evening.

“During that day I’d asked my agent to look into other options – it was a bit complicated because it was already end of August / beginning of September.

"But it was a miracle because the offer already came in Thursday evening. So when my agent phoned with good news – offer from Hearts – I accepted without even asking about the salary as I told myself the timing was too perfect to be just a coincidence.

“I’m a religious man and the timing was so perfect that I thought only God could arrange for things to happen so well, so quickly. And that’s also why, despite not having been here for long, I appreciate my club hugely. Because I tell myself that I’m very lucky to be at such a club at this stage in my career.”

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Injuries to Berra and John Souttar mean Dikamona has probably featured more than was initially expected, and he admitted he knew from the outset he was’t being signed as Craig Levein’s first choice centre back.

"Hearts were top, were going well, so I knew that I was joining a group that was already well set and so it would be hard to be a starter straight away.

"But yes, then fate happened that the two starting CBs got injured at the same time which meant that I had to come straight in and play regularly, I think well too.

“But no, I had told myself that I was arriving at a big club in Scotland, and that I would have to work extremely hard to get to the level of my team-mates and fight for a place.

“But I’ve got to an age where of course I want to play but I’ve stopped thinking from an individualistic point of view, now I think about the collective.

"I prepared myself to give myself totally to the collective – so if the team needs me to be a starter I’ll do everything to start, and if the team is better with John or Christophe on the pitch and me as substitute, that won’t change anything.

Jimmy Dunne (left) and Clevid Dikamona (Image: SNS Group)

“I’ll still give my best and I know that will be beneficial for the team because I know that by me giving my all it will push my team-mates to give their all to keep their place.

“And for me, it won’t affect that the fact that I’ll always be behind the team because I know that at some point, by performing well, I’ll get game time and contribute to the team’s success and I take pleasure from that.”

All being well, Dikamona would love to extend his stay in Gorgie. “I’ve got to an age where, for both myself and my family, I need some stability,” he explained. “Whether it’s my professional life or my family life, I need stability. And here at Hearts I have everything I need to be happy.

“I’m in an extraordinary club, with extraordinary fans, in an extraordinary city to welcome my family. I have everything I need to feel good, and now it’s up to me to do the necessary work on and off the pitch to persuade the club to keep me. It’s not for me to rest on my laurels.

“This is really the first time (apart from feeling it a bit when at Sedan, but it was harder then, because we were in the lower divisions and I wanted to return to professional football), but today I really want to stay at the club.

"Throughout my career I’ve been looking for the club where I can be totally happy and I’ve finally found it, so I hope to be able to stay and I need to give everything for that to happen."